By the time you read this, another restaurant or wine bar will have opened in Perth.

I am, of course, kidding (sort of) but it does feel like P-Town is experiencing an openings bonanza with newcomers and established operators alike throwing ever more hats into an increasingly crowded ring.

On the one hand, these new arrivals are good news: more choice for guests, more healthy competition among operators and the frisson of excitement attached to all things new and shiny. Yet on the other hand, new arrivals can also spell not-so-good news, for the very same reasons that make them so compelling.

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Of course, not all newcomers are born equal. The most noteworthy openings are those that bring something new to the table, be it an under-represented cuisine, a fresh spin on the familiar, pedigree that stems from a proven track record or simply a measure of that elusive X factor. In short: all the things that we’d hope to find in an established venue kicking goals. These are the places that Broadsheet reckons have some of the above and are going to bring good things to Perth’s dining landscape. Here are our picks for the back half of 2023, listed in alphabetical order.

Blasta Collective, Burswood
Burswood’s Blasta Brewing Co is getting ready for blast-off. While the ambitious brewery has opened its Blasta Departure Lounge near the Perth airport, fans are eagerly awaiting a new 3800-square-metre taproom in Burswood that will comprise a gastropub-slash-brewery, beer hall, cafe, kids’ area, florist, patisserie and bottle shop.
Update: Blasta Collective, Burswood opened at the start of August.

Casa Pizza Wine, Mount Hawthorn
The opening of the Casa crew’s dedicated pizzeria edges ever closer. Opening next door to the mothership, Casa Pizza Wine sees chef Paul Bentley apply his rigorous, occasionally irreverent thinking to the world’s most famous flatbread with crunchy, high-walled pies supplemented by garlic focaccia, tiramisu, Caesar salad and other hits from the American-Italian red sauce playbook.
Update: Casa Pizza Wine is currently open for takeaway orders.

Coffeeheads, Vasse
As this is published, the Margaret River Roasting Company and former Vasse Felix head chef Brendan Pratt have hit go on their ambitious drive-through cafe in the south-west hub of Vasse. Come for the carefully made coffee and drive away with bolognaise toasties, beef dip rolls with smoked beef fat gravy, and other sandwiches of a higher order.
Update: Coffeeheads is now open and serving a roast chicken roll one writer can't stop thinking about.

Edward & Ida’s, Northbridge
You’d come to this split-level bar just to marvel at the king’s ransom of antique booze posters at ground level as well as the thousands of minis that beautify the downstairs “weird cocktail bar”. Thankfully, the Foxtrot Unicorn and Nieuw Ruin crew’s Northbridge boozer looks like it has substance to back up all that Antiques Roadshow style: top-shelf drinks makers have been recruited to mix drinks while Blaze Young has turned in a menu that goes big on pies, ploughman’s boards and other alehouse classics.
Update: Edward and Ida's opened in August. You can head here to read more about it.

Lola’s, Fremantle
First there was Peggy’s, Harriet Roxburgh and Harry Peasnell’s fresh-faced sandwichery that brought fun bready times to Freo in 2021. Come September, the couple will add pizza to its CV with the opening of Lola’s, an easygoing pizzeria that will be as suited to family outings as it is date night. Best of all: Lola’s opening will bolster the house-baked bread capabilities of the mothership.
Update: Lola's opened at the end of September. You can head here to read more about it.

Margot’s, CBD
Margot’s, a wine bar and cellar door due to open at the top of William Street later this year, is all about WA. So the list at the bar and the cellar door will favour local vignerons, the material for the space has a strong West Australian accent, and local winemakers hosting tastings will be a regular fixture.
Update: Margot's is still yet to open.

Additional reporting by Holly Bodeker-Smith and Clare Ryan.

This article was originally published on July 18, 2023 but was updated September 28, 2023 to reflect new openings.